I recently asked on the $5 Dinners Facebook Fan page what you would like to see in a “grocery shopping list” template. And while I have a few shopping lists in the works, several of you asked for a basic pantry staples list. So I wanted to ask everyone for help in creating an Pantry Staples List.

What ingredients MUST be in your pantry at all times?

What ingredient would you make a special trip back to the grocery store if you ran out?

What is your favorite “pantry” meal…meaning a meal that you can whip together with a few ingredients from the pantry?!?

Thanks for helping me put together a comprehensive and useful Pantry Staples List!

These are the things that I hate to be without. I figure, I can always whip up some soup and sandwiches on a night when things don’t go as planned. I love using canned potatoes in things like stews and even for stuff like pot roast. Same with canned carrots. That way, I don’t have to worry about whether or not they are done. I add pureed tomatos to things like taco meat and sloppy joes so my kids get some extra veggies. I always like to have pasta and sauce on hand. It is super easy to brown some frozen ground beef or turkey, add some cheap pasta sauce and serve over pasta for a quick and easy meal. ANd, I seem to use broth and cream of chicken soup in a lot of recipes. We are cereal fanatics, so we go through that like crazy. And, when all else fails, we can always have pancakes or waffles for dinner and the kids think it is a super special dinner, when in reality, I am just exhausted and don’t feel like doing anything else! Instant pudding and a little whipped cream makes a super fast dessert. Finally, I like keeping peaches and oranges in the pantry because I try to serve fruit at every meal.

Flour, potatoes and eggs. It has to be stocked at all times otherwise I will make a special trip to the store. With that I can always throw together some pancakes/waffles, hashbrowns and eggs and everyone is happy.

Yeast is a must for me. I make a lot of pizza dough and other breads that require yeast and I would totally make a special trip to the store to get some.
As far as other staples; I would say the other ladies have pretty much covered all the basics for me.

My pantry meal is homemade pizza! It’s so versitile! You can keep it simple with just cheese or make it with whatever meat and veggies you have on hand!

My go-to meal is pasta & sauce (or something with the canned tomatoes) and I usually have a bag of frozen meatballs to throw in. Or we’ll have breakfast for dinner as a go-to meal, typically pancakes and eggs.

All of my staples have already been covered, but some of my favorite pantry meals are:

1. Taco bake: salsa, macaroni and cheese (from a box), and beef
2. Shake n’ Bake: it can be adapted to whatever meat is on hand
3. Canned tomatoes and rice will always make a meal if you have some chicken on hand.
4. Of course spaghetti!
5. I ALWAYS like to have a can of cream of chicken soup!! It can go with any kind of meat, then add a can of veggies and we have dinner!

ok, I think that it he majority. And while there isn’t one specific ‘pantry meal’ I like to whip up, I always make sure I have Speghetti supplies on hand. And now that I make my kids’ waffles at home (to add protein in), I usually have all those things stocked as well. A double batch will last me two weeks. Love those!
Thanks,

My pantry favorites have pretty much been covered, but one of my go-to meals would be risotto. 1 cup of arborio rice, 3-4 cups chicken broth, simmer, stir in whatever other stuff you have on hand at the end (veggies, meats, cheeses, pretty much anything goes) and you have a delicious one pot wonder!!

All my standards have been covered. As long as you have canned tomato products, cream of X soup, rice, pasta, spices, oils and soya sauce you can always whip up something.

My favorite totally pantry meals are tuna noodle casserole (tuna, noodles, cream of X soup, canned peas, onion flakes and dried dill – if not limited to just the pantry I’d rather use fresh onions and frozen peas and top with shredded cheese). Another all pantry meal is vegetarian chili – tomatoes, sauce, kidney beans, canned corn, onion flakes, chili powder and cumin. Adding ground beef and fried onions and green peppers makes it much better but it can be done completely from the cupboard.

Rice is a big one for me, too. Salsa, coffee. I was thinking the other day–the only things I would run out for in an emergency would be coffee (for me) and milk (for my kids). Everything else can wait.

My best pantry meal is probably beans and rice, with salsa and usually cheese.

Im in agreement with many items above, the abosolutes “musts” I CANT do without are- salt(kosher preferably) extra virgin olive oil, canelloni beans, canned tunafish, whole wheat noodles, garlic cloves, canned diced tomatos. I can make many a meal out of those items, and very frugally(:

Im in agreement with many items above, the abosolutes “musts” I CANT do without are- salt(kosher preferably) extra virgin olive oil, canelloni beans, canned tunafish, whole wheat noodles, garlic cloves, canned diced tomatos. I can make many a meal out of those items, and very frugally(:

I am a bachelor living on unemployment benefits and when I am not I still living on a tight budget, so my pantry has easy stuff to make in a couple of minutes.
Peanut Butter
Soups
Crackers
Mac N Cheese
Canned fruit
Canned diced tomatoes
Pasta
Jar of spagetti sauce
Oatmeal
Seasonings –especially Natural Seasonings which has several seasonings in it. I can put that on anything from meat to salads
Salad dressing
Tuna
Rice
Rice a roni pasta
Fruit cups
Beans

I would run back to the store mostly for tuna, pasta and fruit cups–for pantry.

My favorite pantry meal seems to be a meal only people from Indiana know about. It is called macroni and tomato. It is very simple.

Macroni or some other pasta of your chosing
Can of diced tomatoes
Margarine
Salt
Pepper

You just boil water, put in elbow macroni or what ever pasta you want to use and cook it till it is done. Then drain the water from the macroni, add some margarine, add the whole can of diced tomatoes with the liquid, salt and pepper to taste and return the pot to the burner and cook till the tomatoes are warm. Then serve as a side dish. I like to use diced tomatoes with jalapenos in it. It makes it spicer and has more flavor.

My go-to pantry meal has to be Tuna Burgers – 3 cans tuna, bread crumbs, mayo, dijon mustard, hot sauce, s/p. I cannot be without the ingredients for Tuna Burgers! They are extremely economical – especially when you can get tuna for less than $0.50/can.

I keep a 3 month supply of ready to go pantry foods in my house, so almost anything we eat can come from the pantry (especially if you include the freezer). That being said here is a rundown of meals we can make from the pantry:
1. Soft Tacos (we don’t season the meat and we can use lentils or beans if we run out), cheese, Rotel and if we have it fresh spinach or lettuce
2. Mac&Cheese. Nothing fancy here, my husband and toddler LOVE it from the box.
3. Spaghetti with pasta sauce and parmesan cheese
4. Tuna salad sandwiches
5. Shepherd’s Pie (canned meat is ok in this, as is lentils instead of meat or mixed with meat; I have also made a version with chicken that was greatly enjoyed)
6. Lentil and Rice Casserole
7. Anything you can think of with rice in it, I can make from my pantry (including veggi sushi with scrambled eggs as the protien because we keep the seaweed wrappers in the pantry).

I heavily rely on my pantry for cooking. The only time my pantry has not been stocked was when I made several months worth of freezer meals right before by baby was born. And now that he is 2 months old we have been stocking it up again. I haven’t even mentioned the super simple recipes like canned chili or soup and crackers (for those nights when 15 minutes is too long a wait for dinner).

My go to meals are Hillbilly Housewife’s 5-can bean soup or mac and cheese with tuna and peas (always have these in the freezer)

The only thing I will make a special trip to the store for is milk and that is only because I have a 21 month old at home who needs it every day. Even with milk we usually keep a coupld of boxes of LaLa brand shelf stable whole milk in the cupboard. It is about the wam price for a quart that we usually pay for a gallon, but I like to have one or tow in reserve incase we run out and can’t get to the store. Plus I buy it on sale so it is not so bad.

Staples have pretty well been covered but I keep canned chicken on hand and can make chicken enchillada casserole in a pinch..Layer tortilla chips in a 9x 13″ dish ,(mix in a bowl ) 2 cans of chicken, 1 can rotel tomatoes with chiles,1 can cream of chicken soup, 1 medium onion cut up, and 1 egg. pour on top of chips then add a layer of any kind of shredded cheese and bake 350 degrees for 20 minutes…Fast and Good!
I would make a trip to the store for French Vanilla Creamer..Can’t have coffee without it!! Powered or liquid

In addition to what are the general basics for most folks, I always have:

Canned Tuna in water
canned black beans
canned corn
jar of yeast
3 or 4 different styles of salsa
misc canned veggies (canned due to health issues otherwise I would only have fresh)

Yeast is probably the one ingredient I would make a special trip to the store for. This is besides eggs and milk.

As long as I have tuna, butter, flour & milk, I can make Creamed Tuna. Served over either pasta, rice, or toast. That is my main pantry meal as my kids love it. My 20yo asks for it frequently and has made it into her one ‘go to’ meal when she is cooking for her boyfriends family.

I also have to have some bananas on hand for snacks and there are always a few in the freezer for quick banana bread – also a favorite snack for the toddler and DH. I buy flour, honey, yeast and butter in bulk for bread making, pancakes, other baked goods and granola for cereal and for chewy granola bars. I PANIC when I’m low on flour, butter and eggs. 🙂 I can’t wait for the comprehensive list. My go to meals are usually in the freezer, but if nothing is there, we do pasta and sauce with homemade bread, butter and garlic salt (and cheese if we have it) under the broiler for garlic cheese toast. That is DIVINE. 🙂

I shop at Costco and buy a lot of things in bulk. I feed about 12 people per week with daycare, sometimes more so we go through a lot of food. Items that I always have on hand, cream of chicken and mushroom soup, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, rotel, canned beans, mostly black and kidney but then I keep white, chickpeas, pinto and refried too. Pasta and noodles are a weekly meal for the kids. I buy my chicken and ground turkey in bulk and always have baggies of frozen chicken portions and portioned out ground turkey. I always have a variety of canned soups and canned pastas (spaghetti-o’s) when they are on sale and I can match up with coupons. I almost always have at least one can of artichokes, pumpkin and green chiles. Peanut butter of course. And syrup as we eat a lot of french toast and pancakes. I keep several kinds of vinegars, white, balsamic, red wine and apple cider. I always have canned fruit, usually in the big 10# cans that are much cheaper. Plus I keep a steady supply of ritz crackers and pretzels to subside the munchies. That’s just the cupboard items. In the frig, we always have brick colby jack cheese and salad lettuce. We always have ham and turkey lunch meat and a variety of veggies. Always apples on the counter and usually banana’s as well. Those are pretty much the items that are ALWAYS here. Hope this helped. Thanks!